Top professional sailors from around the world took to the bay on Friday to practice for this weekend’s Rolex SailGP Championship in San Francisco.
The annual global championship takes place in iconic cities around the world, with 11 of the 12 national teams competing in 50-foot foiling catamarans which race at speeds over 60 miles per hour. The Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix is the second race in back-to-back event weekends to kick off the U.S. slate of events for 2025.
Boats from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Emirates Great Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA will compete.
To achieve these top speeds, the F50’s hydrofoils lift the boat out of the water to reduce drag, and use a vertically-mounted airplane wing as a sail. Each boat has a crew of five members, consisting of a helmsman, wing-trimmer, flight controller and two grinders.
SailGP has an ongoing commitment to embed environmental and social sustainability into the fabric of sport and they also run the Inspire program, a community education and outreach initiative for youth.
This weekend’s racing venue of San Francisco poses the “most extreme conditions of the circuit”, which require “a lot of bravery’ to compete”, said Australia helmsman Tom Slingsby.
Slingsby’s team has won three of SailGP’s four visits to San Francisco and was unbeaten here until Spain clinched the Season 4 championship title last season.
The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday near the St. Francis Yacht Club by Marina Green. There are plenty of viewing spots along the waterfront, but grandstand tickets for prime viewing can be purchased. For more info, check out the SailGP website.
The Australia SailGP team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
F50 foiling catamarans from Switzerland and Great Britain pass Alcatraz Island while practicing for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Emirates Great Britain Sail GP team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Spectators watch from shore as F50 foiling catamarans practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Red Bull Italy SailGP Team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Spain SailGP team tacks while practicing for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
F50 foiling catamarans from Switzerland, Great Britain and Spain, from left, practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The France SailGP team Les Bleus practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The French SailGP team Les Bleus tack their F50 foiling catamaran while practicing for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
F50 foiling catamarans from all over the world practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The United States SailGP Team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Switzerland and Spain SailGP teams, from right, practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Germany SailGP team tacks while practicing for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
F50 foiling catamarans from all over the world practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
The Red Bull Italy SailGP Team practices for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
F50 foiling catamarans from all over the world practice for this weekend’s Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, March 21, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
